Courtesy photo
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies will now be equipped with a life-saving drug called OPVEE.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has unveiled a pioneering treatment to save lives amid the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic.
On Friday, the law enforcement agency announced that its deputies will now be equipped with a new drug called OPVEE to treat overdoses, the first in the nation to do so.
The nasal spray is similar to naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, but much more effective. According to Sheriff Michael Bouchard, “instead of having to use three or four doses of Narcan we can use one [OPVEE].” OPVEE also stays in the system as long as 10 hours, as opposed to naloxone, which is in the system for up to 90 minutes.
Bouchard helped lead a legislative effort in Michigan in 2014 to allow police officers to administer life-saving drugs like as Narcan.
“Advances such as this new medication allow us the opportunity to save more lives and give them a second chance,” Bouchard said in a statement. “When I first pushed to allow law enforcement to administer a drug to save lives, oddly there was pushback. Now, everyone understands the scope of this national health emergency and how many lives are affected. We all must do everything in our power to help those struggling with substance abuse disorder.”
For the pilot program, the Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Indivior, the Virginia-based manufacturer of OPVEE, in addition to the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities and Oakland Community Health Network, which paid an initial $7,500 for 100 boxes of the drug.
“The availability of OPVEE in Oakland County, Michigan represents a significant step in our efforts to address today’s era of opioid overdoses,” said Nina DeLorenzo, Indivior’s chief global impact officer. “OPVEE will now be carried by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the participation of law enforcement is critical in this fight as they are often the first people responding to overdoses in our communities.”
About 1,200 officers, including road patrol, corrections, and reserve deputies have already been trained in the use of Narcan. Training in OPVEE is already underway and expected to be completed in about a month, the agency says.
OPVEE can be used for both natural and synthetic opioid overdoses. According to the National Center on Health Statistics, overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl increased more than seven-fold between 2015 and 2021, accounting for two-thirds of all overdose deaths, which totaled nearly 107,000 in 2021.
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